Rochester drummer to swap sticks for barrister's wig

A musician from Rochester who has drummed for the likes of The Cure, Skunk Anansie and Anastasia is preparing for a surprise change in career.

Louis Pavlou will start a degree in law at the University of Kent at Medway this September. The 37 year old drummer, who at 18 dropped out of his A-levels to pursue a career in rock, has spent the last year completing an Access course at nearby MidKent College.

Last week, he and more than 100 others collected their Access certificates at an awards ceremony held at the Corn Exchange in Rochester.

Mr Pavlou established a successful career as a session drummer throughout the nineties and the first half of the noughties. However, he was hit hard by the advent of music downloads. “The industry just died,” he said. “I started to realise that if I wanted to continue producing music and playing in a band, I needed another kind of career to back it up.” For Mr Pavlou, this meant preparing for a stint at university.

The talented musician said: “When I was 18 I had very stringent ideas about what I wanted to do with my life, so I couldn’t see much point in going to uni. That kind of arrogance works in the music industry when you’re in your twenties, but when you get to your thirties you begin to realise that a degree might actually come in handy.”

He said: “I thought about retaking A-levels over the course of two years, but then I discovered Access, which allows you entry to uni after just one year.

“The Access course at MidKent College has been a great experience for me - challenging in some ways and absolutely fulfilling in others. It’s also helped me to realise that the way I think and communicate would be ideal for a career in law. I’d never considered training to become a barrister before so I’m indebted to Access for helping me to decide what direction the rest of my life will take.”

MidKent College Principal and Chief Executive, Stephen Grix, said: “Access students tend to have a low level of self confidence and we see that transformed at the college over the course of their year with us.”

He added: “If you look at the figures, a larger number of Access students succeed at higher education level than 18 year olds who have taken a more traditional route into university. We are keen to celebrate that at MidKent College.”